# The "One Smoke per Pipe/Day & Seven Days Rest" Rule



## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Right after publishing his paper on the reality of cold fusion the guy who invented the "70/70" cigar storage rule moved over to pipe smoking. He made the move because his 70/70 soggy, sour tasting cigars had broken out in mold and tobacco beetles. After a day of pipe experience he dreamed up the "One Smoke per Briar/Day" rule.

Let us dispel this 95% poppycock notion here and now. Please explain when you know it's time to put your briar up to dry.


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## dj1340 (Mar 30, 2009)

Well, I certainly smoke more than 1 bowl per day in my pipes. I do keep a pipe cleaner in them after I'm done and tend to wipe out the bowl with a paper towel at the end of the day. All that being said, I switch pipes every 3 to 4 days.
I guess if your tobacco was sopping wet it may need drying out.


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## J. R. Henderson (Oct 30, 2010)

Well, after reading some guides (reputability not guaranteed) and being completely new to pipe smoking, I was under the impression that a briar pipe should be smoked only once per day, leaving it "well rested" the next day. I presume this all has to do with supposed moisture content from saliva/breath condensation/the tobacco itself.

But my briar pipe seems perfectly fine so far smoking it a few times per day, every day. I do loosely place a wad of tissue into the bowl after each use and leave it there "just in case" (tissues expand to fill the bowl, and are very soft, so I can't imagine this harming the bowl). Just recently some Puff people have told me I don't need to be terribly paranoid about resting my pipe, so I think I'll just continue smoking it frequently and see if I notice any ill effects, out of curiosity if nothing else.

In one thread I read here on Puff, almost every person responded saying they cleaned their pipes with pipe cleaners after every use, so I'd been doing the same. But apparently once per day with an absorbent and a brush is fine (which is what I'd guessed before I read anything about it).


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Multiple bowls per day. I run a pipe cleaner through the pipe once or twice as I smoke and after the bowl is done and they all still smoke just fine. However, as an aspiring pipe maker I say the one bowl per day is a great rule. In fact, I think one bowl a month might be better, just to be on the safe side


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## J. R. Henderson (Oct 30, 2010)

indigosmoke said:


> Multiple bowls per day. I run a pipe cleaner through the pipe once or twice as I smoke and after the bowl is done and they all still smoke just fine. However, as an aspiring pipe maker I say the one bowl per day is a great rule. In fact, I think one bowl a month might be better, just to be on the safe side


Hah! I was thinking much the same thing. This must all be a rumor spread around by pipe carvers to sell more pipes! I don't actually believe that, of course, but it's an amusing thought. But heck, even if it's true, who doesn't want more pipes? Anyone? Show of hands?

As an aside, I find it interesting that you not only clean your pipes after every single use, but clean it during smoking, too. I assume that's a bit of extra effort to ensure the stem and shank stay as dry as possible?


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

1. Dry tobacco, caked pipe: I smoked some pretty dry MacB Navy Flake in a well-caked smallish pipe yesterday - four bowlsful, same pipe. It got swabbed a few times along the way but, this morning, the heel of the pipe looked barely moist. I know I could get another couple of smokes out of it today if I was inclined.

2. Moist tobacco and/or uncaked pipe: there are other days, other pipes and other tobaccos that combine to get plenty gurgly after a bowl or two. Those pipes set off an alert and get swabbed and put up for a few days. I find newer, uncaked pipes get the gurgles fastest.

3. Meers & Cobs: with anything but overly-moist tobacco either of the meers will go on and on until I get bored and want a change of pipe-scenery; the cobs nearly the same. I can't smoke more than 3-5 bowls in a wild pipe day anyhow (Sat/Sun/holidays) and, after a nights rest any meer or cob is good to go again. I suppose a too-fast smoker with drooly tabak and no pipe cleaners could get a meer or a cob soggy but I haven't managed to (yet).

I say smoke what you got until it tells you it's wet. When you smoke a wet pipe it sucks and, unless you're a sleep-smoker or you live in pipe-oblivion, you'll get signs that tell you when to rest a pipe for a day or two BEFORE it gets the gurgles or - heaven forbid - goes sour. I think anyone call dump a pipe, swab it out and look at the heel. When a bowl goes swampy your eyes (and the last smoke) will tell you it needs rest - and how much.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Me thinks the Cow-Meister speaks words of truth and wisdom.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

J. R. Henderson said:


> As an aside, I find it interesting that you not only clean your pipes after every single use, but clean it during smoking, too. I assume that's a bit of extra effort to ensure the stem and shank stay as dry as possible?


You are correct, Sir!


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## dj1340 (Mar 30, 2009)

indigosmoke said:


> Multiple bowls per day. I run a pipe cleaner through the pipe once or twice as I smoke and after the bowl is done and they all still smoke just fine. However, as an aspiring pipe maker I say the one bowl per day is a great rule. In fact, I think one bowl a month might be better, just to be on the safe side


I do the same thing if I rush and try and smoke something before it has dried properly. Seems to make the smoke a little cooler for me.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

indigosmoke said:


> Me thinks the Cow-Meister speaks words of truth and wisdom.


Well............ I'm not saying I have "thee" answer but I believe, just between us, we'll find precious few who think "one pipe, one smoke, one week" makes any sense a'tall.

We need to reorganize newguy pipe thinking from the get-go, right here. Right now. Newguys don't need a rule; they need to know what to look for when things start going south, moisture-wise, so they don't end up with sour soggy briar by being in better touch with their hobby wrather than by thinking some wrong rule is wright. Speaking of dumb rules... how about that silent "W" rule, huh?


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## doctorthoss (Jun 28, 2010)

Personally, I think the "one pipe, one smoke, one week" rule is complete bunk.
I've been smoking for 20 years as of this month, and I've rarely had a pipe go sour on me. I tend to smoke 5 or so bowls per day (sometimes more, sometimes less), and have many times smoked the same pipe for 2-3 days in a row before the taste starts to get funky (depending on the tobacco). 
As a rule, though, I usually have 3 pipes going in any one day. Why? Because I dedicate pipes to certain types of blend (English, Va, Burley, etc.) and rarely smoke the same blend all day long. Candidly, I also just like to rotate my pipes to make sure they all get their share of attention!
One caveats here: I do have a small number of briars (say 5 or 6 out of my 30+) that can't seem to handle more than a single smoke or two in a day. I don't know why this would be the case, but it is.


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## GlassEye (Oct 25, 2009)

It is good to see this thread getting posted, I think it needed to be said. I have recently seen a lot of posts on forums with the noob-piper asking if their pipe will be ruined if they smoke more than once in 24 hours or something similar. That thinking needs to be changed. Who knows how it started, but it shouldn't have. 

Some great advice has already been posted in this thread, there isn't much else that needs to be said.


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## slyder (Mar 17, 2009)

I have a dr grabow work pipe that i smoke at least 6 bowls a day in. I hardly ever run a pipe cleaner through it...unless i get a gurgle which is almost never. Would I do this to a new Stanwell? Probably not but Smoking a pipe more than once a day wont kill it. Its just a pipe.....smoke it and enjoy it.


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

Well guys & gals, I recall reading an article once, or a few times, in an issue of Tom Dunn's Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, maybe 8, 10, or even more, years ago about "Seven Day" Briar Pipe Sets. In that article, it was explained that the advent of the "Seven Day" briar pipe set was based on the theory that, for the most part, a single, quality, briar pipe could be smoked repeatedly, through out the course of a day without damage. The next day a different, still unsmoked pipe for that week, would be selected as the pipe of the day. That process would be continued until all seven pipes had been smoked. Then the process would begin again, following the same pattern with the pipe chosen to smoke each day, thus allowing for each pipe to rest for seven days before being used again.

I have always felt that the explanation made good sense to me!


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## Stench (Aug 17, 2009)

I may be a bit of an oddity, but sometimes it may take me 2 or 3 days to smoke a full bowl in one of my larger pipes. I work night shift and like to puff for a few minutes before I go to bed and then will pick the pipe back up that evening when I get up with a cup of coffee. Is this bad? I rarely get gurgle and smoke mostly vapers'


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

Stench said:


> I may be a bit of an oddity, but sometimes it may take me 2 or 3 days to smoke a full bowl in one of my larger pipes. I work night shift and like to puff for a few minutes before I go to bed and then will pick the pipe back up that evening when I get up with a cup of coffee. Is this bad? I rarely get gurgle and smoke mostly vapers'


Odd, but certainly not bad. If you enjoy it who cares?

Smoke on Rob! :rockon:


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## J. R. Henderson (Oct 30, 2010)

I've actually considered smoking a bowl in halves or thirds, not to save on tobacco or because I'm impatient, but simply because I sometimes don't feel the need for a full smoke all in one sitting.

Still, once it's lit, somehow I always end up smoking the whole thing. I just can't bring myself to set the pipe down and walk away for a long period of time until I've finished all the tobacco. Must be a good smoke!


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

commonsenseman said:


> Odd, but certainly not bad...


Is there enough room for odd people here? :shocked:


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

JohnnyFlake said:


> Well guys & gals, I recall reading an article once, or a few times, in an issue of Tom Dunn's Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, maybe 8, 10, or even more, years ago about "Seven Day" Briar Pipe Sets. In that article, it was explained that the advent of the "Seven Day" briar pipe set was based on the theory that, for the most part, a single, quality, briar pipe could be smoked repeatedly, through out the course of a day without damage. The next day a different, still unsmoked pipe for that week, would be selected as the pipe of the day. That process would be continued until all seven pipes had been smoked. Then the process would begin again, following the same pattern with the pipe chosen to smoke each day, thus allowing for each pipe to rest for seven days before being used again.
> 
> I have always felt that the explanation made good sense to me!


You are correct. I've never heard that a pipe should only be smoked once and then put away for a week. The original point to a 7 day set was that each pipe could be smoked for an entire day and then given a 6 day rest.


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Is there enough room for odd people here? :shocked:


There must be..........oke:


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## mbearer (Jun 2, 2010)

Mister Moo said:


> Is there enough room for odd people here? :shocked:


*pushes out his elbows* Yep, I got plenty of room, thank you for asking  
Mike


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

dmkerr said:


> ...I've never heard that a pipe should only be smoked once and then put away for a week...


I think I have heard this but *I* wouldn't stake *YOUR* meers on it.

I have read, here an there (forums), thoughtful advice about only smoking a pipe this way or that way and always letting a pipe rest "x" days. Here is a chance to add your take on the process of pipe smoking/resting. We need to hear from some qualified pipe-dweebs. Apply within.


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## Z.Kramer (Jul 2, 2009)

I'm also glad this thread was posted. I feel, that in helping to bring newcomers successfully into pipe smoking, the more experienced BOTB have to find a sort of balance in teaching the tricks. I have seen guys give up on pipes because they have no guidance, and others give up on the idea of starting because they think there is way too much to learning what they see as a tremendously complicating process. 

I actually think, generally, we all do a great job of striking the balance in this forum.


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

Slightly off topic, but the idea that breaking in a pipe with 1/3, 1/2 & then full bowls is a necessity, isn't true either. While it can be a good idea to help get some good, strong cake forming. It is by no means necessary. I myself don't use it. As long as you're smoking dry tobacco & smoking it slowly, there's no reason (I can think of) to not smoke full bowls. One of the first things I do when I get a new pipe is to smoke a full bowl of tobacco in it. 

This is one of the cases where giving a pipe proper rest between bowls is quite important though. Before a good cake is formed, briar is more delicate.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> I think I have heard this but *I* wouldn't stake *YOUR* meers on it.
> 
> I have read, here an there (forums), thoughtful advice about only smoking a pipe this way or that way and always letting a pipe rest "x" days. Here is a chance to add your take on the process of pipe smoking/resting. We need to hear from some qualified pipe-dweebs. Apply within.


Since you mentioned meers, if I were so inclined, I could smoke the same meer every day for 105 years and never worry about it going sour. That's a briar malady.

There are a ton of do's and don'ts with respect to pipes. Some I agree with and some I don't. With the pipe resting thing, I'd say smoke that stinker all day - 7 times if you like - and then give it a week's rest to dry out. That's the point of a 7 day set. If you smoked 4 bowls per day and only smoked one bowl per pipe per week, they'd put 28 pipes in each 7 day set.

That's one dweeb heard from!


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

commonsenseman said:


> Slightly off topic, but the idea that breaking in a pipe with 1/3, 1/2 & then full bowls is a necessity, isn't true either. While it can be a good idea to help get some good, strong cake forming. It is by no means necessary. I myself don't use it. As long as you're smoking dry tobacco & smoking it slowly, there's no reason (I can think of) to not smoke full bowls. One of the first things I do when I get a new pipe is to smoke a full bowl of tobacco in it.


Same here. I always smoked a full bowl from the start and never had any problems with lack of cake or wet heels. I've always thought of that advice as a remedy in search of a problem.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

commonsenseman said:


> Slightly off topic, but the idea that breaking in a pipe with 1/3, 1/2 & then full bowls is a necessity, isn't true either. While it can be a good idea to help get some good, strong cake forming. It is by no means necessary. I myself don't use it. As long as you're smoking dry tobacco & smoking it slowly, there's no reason (I can think of) to not smoke full bowls. One of the first things I do when I get a new pipe is to smoke a full bowl of tobacco in it.
> 
> This is one of the cases where giving a pipe proper rest between bowls is quite important though. Before a good cake is formed, briar is more delicate.


You're wandering. Focus, man, focus. I was going to cover the 1/3 bowl fiction in my next thread, "Lies My Children Told Me About Breaking In New Pipes."


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## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

God save the fool that lives by every scrap of pipe lore and web advice.

"Guys, help. What am I doing wrong? I'm filling my pipe 2/5 full after coating it with honey and my grandfathers cremains, but I've noticed that F-18 afterburner I'm using to light my bowl (according to the _____ method) is slightly charring the rim, which I've studiously polished with saliva, "nose oil", carnuba wax, olive oil, and angel tears. Which poisonous chemicals can help me?"


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## Jessefive (Oct 21, 2009)

Thanks for this thread. I've always been fairly careful not to smoke the same pipe more than once in a 24 hours. As a result, I've purchased some pipes that I probably didn't need and shouldn't have bought... Um, actually, yea right, I needed them, and I need even more, ha ha.

But in the future I won't be so paranoid about smoking multiple bowls in a day, or having to skip that morning Va/Per when I smoked my va/per pipe the night before, etc. Thanks gentlemen!


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

drastic_quench said:


> God save the fool that lives by every scrap of pipe lore and web advice.
> 
> "Guys, help. What am I doing wrong? I'm filling my pipe 2/5 full after coating it with honey and my grandfathers cremains, but I've noticed that F-18 afterburner I'm using to light my bowl (according to the _____ method) is slightly charring the rim, which I've studiously polished with saliva, "nose oil", carnuba wax, olive oil, and angel tears. Which poisonous chemicals can help me?"


All this kind of stuff does is turn off the newbies. Pipe smoking is already seen as terribly complicated when compared to cigar smoking, and it is somewhat. But I'm all for keeping things as simple as possible. That could be one main reason I smoke only meerschaum. No worries about cake, no needing to let a pipe rest for x days, no pipe dedication, etc. It's a nice lazy man's smoke. 

F-18 afterburner... lmao!


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## Z.Kramer (Jul 2, 2009)

commonsenseman said:


> Slightly off topic, but the idea that breaking in a pipe with 1/3, 1/2 & then full bowls is a necessity, isn't true either. While it can be a good idea to help get some good, strong cake forming. It is by no means necessary. I myself don't use it. As long as you're smoking dry tobacco & smoking it slowly, there's no reason (I can think of) to not smoke full bowls. One of the first things I do when I get a new pipe is to smoke a full bowl of tobacco in it.
> 
> This is one of the cases where giving a pipe proper rest between bowls is quite important though. Before a good cake is formed, briar is more delicate.





dmkerr said:


> Same here. I always smoked a full bowl from the start and never had any problems with lack of cake or wet heels. I've always thought of that advice as a remedy in search of a problem.


I always thought that that suggestion had to do with new smokers struggling to smoke a full bowl to the bottom. In that case, by filling the bowl 1/3, 1/2 etc you could easily smoke the thing to the bottom to encourage caking in the lower bowl/heel.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Jessefive said:


> Thanks for this thread. I've always been fairly careful not to smoke the same pipe more than once in a 24 hours. As a result, I've purchased some pipes that I probably didn't need and shouldn't have bought... Um, actually, yea right, I needed them, and I need even more, ha ha.
> 
> But in the future I won't be so paranoid about smoking multiple bowls in a day, or having to skip that morning Va/Per when I smoked my va/per pipe the night before, etc. Thanks gentlemen!


There it is - saving fake-rule abused pipesmokers, one thread at a time.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Z.Kramer said:


> I always thought that that suggestion had to do with new smokers struggling to smoke a full bowl to the bottom. In that case, by filling the bowl 1/3, 1/2 etc you could easily smoke the thing to the bottom to encourage caking in the lower bowl/heel.


That may be exactly where it comes from, but it should be no more difficult for a newbie to smoke a bowl to the bottom than a seasoned vet. Relight until the tobacco is gone. It's gone when you get a mouthful of ash.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Z.Kramer said:


> I always thought that that suggestion had to do with new smokers struggling to smoke a full bowl to the bottom. In that case, by filling the bowl 1/3, 1/2 etc you could easily smoke the thing to the bottom to encourage caking in the lower bowl/heel.


Fake rule. Fake, fake, fake.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Fake rule. Fake, fake, fake.


Yeah, Zach's gonna have to work overtime to get a bowl of soup around here now!


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## Variables (Dec 2, 2009)

I must be doing something wrong then. I have routinely, though the years, repeatedly smoked the same pipe multiple times in one day. Smoked full, gravity filled pipes, during break-in too! Need to buy more pipes to replace the damaged briars I have, the horror!


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## Z.Kramer (Jul 2, 2009)

Mister Moo said:


> Fake rule. Fake, fake, fake.


Well I am glad to have that cleared up then.


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

It's entirely possible that this rule was created solely to justify the purchase of extra pipes to wives and girlfriends.


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## GreatBonsai (Jun 30, 2008)

Jack Straw said:


> It's entirely possible that this rule was created solely to justify the purchase of extra pipes to wives and girlfriends.


^^ This. 'But honey, if I buy it now while we have the extra $$ and give my other pipe(s) a break from time to time, I won't be scrounging for money when I ruin the one(s) I have from over smoking!'

On a serious note, I'm glad this thread was posted. As a not-so-new piper (pipist? Pipian? Pipacalifragilisticexpealadocious?), I've discovered some of these things on my own, but mainly by saying 'F&!k it, it's a $20 pipe, and it's the only one I have on hand.' and smoking 2-3 bowls in it over a day anyways. Lo-and-behold, the heel was still dry after the 3rd full bowl :jaw: !

I never did the 1/3-1/2-2/3-3/4-7/8 etc thing because it made no sense to me, but I always felt a little guilty starting out because it was so strongly advertised to be a pipe-sin.

Well, now I've got a bunch of pipes, a bunch of tobacco, and I've realized the only trial-proven rule is the one type of tobacco/pipe because getting cherry escudo was not my idea of a good time (yeah, I had forgotten what was last smoked in that pipe)!

So thanks for clearing my conscience about some of these things, and I hope this helps future pipe-noobs!


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